This is Ivan. Laid-back, utterly relaxed, sleepy, friendly Ivan. I don't know whether he's still alive.
The animal shelter where my daughter works discovered that two of its cats had arrived with panleukemia virus this week. A rapidly-spreading and deadly cat ailment, it always leaves devastation in its wake. The shelter is closed to cat intakes and adoptions for at least two weeks and the employees are scouring every possible surface with repeated doses of bleach in a desperate effort to keep the cats already in residence alive. My daughter's scrubs are all covered with bleach spots, her hands are rough and dry, and she is full of apprehension.
It's another situation for heroes, really. In the face of all that is wrong in the world, a few dozen people are battling for the lives of a few hundred cats, in the hope that somewhere out there waits a loving owner for each of them.
And Ivan? If the virus doesn't run wild, he has a chance. He's such a friendly fellow that he spends all of his time in the cat playroom, meaning that he has been isolated from the cages and hallways where the virus is more likely to take hold. As an adult, he's not likely to be prized by most potential owners, but as long as he stays healthy, he'll survive.
If you're thinking that you need a new pet, then run, don't walk, to your nearest shelter.
7 comments:
What a beautiful feline! I hope Ivan does well. Caring for animals is a testament that there is goodness on the earth. Wrap your arms around your loving daughter and hold her tight!
Best,
Judith
http://journals.aol.com/jtuwliens/MirrorMirrorontheWall
My prayers are with them.
V
People are nuts when they overlook adult cats. Yes, kittens are cute but at least with an adult you have some idea what that personality is like. Good luck Ivan. I don't know though, I think he has that "neener, neener, neener, I know something you don't know." look. LOL
Jackie
He looks like a pretty big kitty! I can't tell you how much I'd love to rescue every homeless cat in the world...but I think with eight of the little buggers, plus a dog, I'm maxed out. Lisa :-]
We just found a home for a black kitty who was dumped in our neighborhood---she had already been spayed and declawed...and was so think and scared. A nice elderly woman down the street took her in...we also found homes for two ferrets and a rat this week. (We are not a shelter, just a family.)
Why don't they test the cats to see who carries the virus? Then vaccinate the cats that don't carry the virus. If the cat carries the virus then the vaccine won't help them.
Unfortunately, panleuk (I originally mis-identified it as feleuk) does not show up in tests until a cat already shows symptoms, by which time the cat has been contagious for a couple of weeks but has appeared just fine. The only solution is to vaccinate kittens -- and, of course, the homeless animals that find their way to a shelter were not vaccinated in their prior lives. They are vaccinated when they get there, but it's impossible to tell whether it's already too late.
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